Bayesian Optimal Filtering in Dynamic Linear Models: An Empirical Study of Economic Time Series Data

This paper reviews a recursive Bayesian methodology for optimal data cleaning and filtering of economic time series data with the aim of using the Kalman filter to estimate the parameters of a specified state space model which describes an economic phenomena under study. The Kalman filter, being a recursive algorithm, is ideal for usage on time-dependent data. As an example, the yearly measurements of eight key economic time series data of the Nigerian economy is used to demonstrate that the integrated random walk model is suitable for modeling time series with no clear trend or seasonal variation. We find that the Kalman filter is both predictive and adaptive, as it looks forward with an estimate of the variance and mean of the time series one step into the future and it does not require stationarity of the time series data considered.